Structure & Function of Blood Vessels (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Biology)

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Lára Marie McIvor

Written by: Lára Marie McIvor

Reviewed by: Lucy Kirkham

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How Structure of Blood Vessels is Adapted to their Function: Extended

Extended Tier Only

Arteries

  • Have thick muscular walls containing elastic fibres to withstand the high pressure of blood and maintain the blood pressure as it recoils after the blood has passed through

  • Have a narrow lumen to maintain high pressure

Veins

  • Have a large lumen as blood pressure is low

  • Contain valves to prevent the backflow of blood as it is under low pressure

Capillaries

  • Have walls that are one cell thick so that substances can easily diffuse in and out of them

  • Have ‘leaky’ walls so that blood plasma can leak out and form tissue fluid surrounding cells

Blood vessels of the circulatory system_1

Adaptations of blood vessels

Arterioles and venules

  • As arteries divide more as they get further away from the heart, they get narrower

  • The narrow vessels that connect arteries to capillaries are called arterioles

  • Veins also get narrower the further away they are from the heart

  • The narrow vessels that connect capillaries to veins are called venules

The blood vessel network, IGCSE & GCSE Biology revision notes

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Lára Marie McIvor

Author: Lára Marie McIvor

Expertise: Biology Lead

Lára graduated from Oxford University in Biological Sciences and has now been a science tutor working in the UK for several years. Lára has a particular interest in the area of infectious disease and epidemiology, and enjoys creating original educational materials that develop confidence and facilitate learning.

Lucy Kirkham

Author: Lucy Kirkham

Expertise: Head of STEM

Lucy has been a passionate Maths teacher for over 12 years, teaching maths across the UK and abroad helping to engage, interest and develop confidence in the subject at all levels.Working as a Head of Department and then Director of Maths, Lucy has advised schools and academy trusts in both Scotland and the East Midlands, where her role was to support and coach teachers to improve Maths teaching for all.

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